Sealed built its business around predicting energy use and getting homeowners to move away from fossil fuels. So, naturally, the company’s first acquisition is a startup that tracks energy at a granular level.
Sealed didn’t disclose the terms of the deal, but said in a statement that scooping up Burlington, Vermont-based InfiSense would help “reduce energy waste in the home.”
Headquartered in Manhattan, Sealed finances and oversees electrification upgrades, including replacing oil and gas heaters with electric heat pumps and insulation. By eliminating fossil fuels from your home, you can reduce your utility bills, reduce your home’s emissions, and improve your health. You may have seen this topic in the news recently, as potential stove bans have become the latest flashpoint in the culture wars over clean energy.
Until that point, InfiSense sensors and software have been monitoring air quality in addition to energy use in buildings, and Sealed plans to share this type of air quality data with customers in the future.
Sealed is unique in that it covers installation and weathering costs upfront. Instead, it charges a fixed rate based on the energy that a machine learning algorithm predicts homeowners will save over time. When Sealed underestimates home energy use, it costs money. Therefore, we need to improve these predictions.
Co-founder and CEO Lauren Salz said in a call with TechCrunch: Sealed’s algorithm currently relies on monthly energy data from utilities,Using InfiSense “allows us to access a deeper level of data from our customers,” says Salz.
Sealed plans to install InfiSense sensors in some customers’ homes, but Salz said there’s no need for that. The data Sealed collects not only informs its forecasts, but also gives curious customers an up-close look at energy usage and air quality.
